Packaging bags made from flexible polymeric materials have been used for packaging various types of products, including, for example, adult incontinence articles, diapers, training pants, feminine care products, among many other items. These bags provide packaging for the products, creating a carton-like look and configuration which facilitates display of the products on the retail shelf for consumers to purchase. These bags also provide a convenient way for the consumer to transport the products from the retailer to the consumer's home or place of use. Typically, these bags are provided with an opening device that allows the consumer to access products contained within the bags.
Currently available opening devices often compromise the structure of the bag, causing the bag to fully or partially collapse on itself and any product remaining in the bag as the products are removed. This can make it difficult for the consumer to remove remaining product from the bag. Further, when the bag collapses, the bag loses its carton-like structure, which is often considered by consumers to lack neatness. On other currently available bags, the opening device is not of a sufficient size to easily access and remove the products from the bag. If the opening device is not of a sufficient size, then extra effort may be required from a consumer to remove the product from the bag. In addition, many currently available bag opening devices are difficult for consumers to open for one reason or another. For example, many opening devices have a pinch and pull opening means in which the user must grasp and pinch the packaging bag on opposite sides of an opening seam and pull outward to open the bag at the seam. It is widely recognized that such grasping or pinching of a packaging bag to open the bag can be difficult for older users and those users with diseases which affect the dexterity of a user's hands, such as arthritis.
To avoid the problems described above, there is a need in the art for a flexible packaging bag which retains its shape after opening and provides easy access to the articles stored inside the bag to facilitate easy removal of the articles from the bag. In addition, there is a need in the art for a flexible packaging bag which is easy for consumers to open, particularly for consumers who have difficulty in grasping or pinching materials such as polymer films. There is also a need for such a flexible packaging bag that is capable of repeated opening and closing.